New year's Resolutions for Business Owners & Entrepreneurs
by Susan Dunn
Making resolutions means resolving to do something,
committing to do something. In Emotional Intelligence
terms this is called Intentionality. It means saying
what you mean, and meaning what you say. What are your
intentions for your life this coming year? What do you
intend to do to make this happen?
1. Put your resolutions in writing. Show them
to someone - spouse, friend, coach. Post them on the
office wall, refrigerator and dashboard. Send a copy
to your coach.
2. Make a list of names and addresses of people
you can promote your business to. You don't have to
start an ezine yet, or do a direct snail-mailing, but
start making the list. Resolve to increase the list
you already have by 100%. Everywhere you go, get names,
business cards, email addresses.
3. For marketing, be at least 6 weeks ahead
in your mind. In December, you should be thinking about
Valentine's promotions, and have Easter already in your
mind. Think your services or products can't be promoted
this way? I just got back from my dentist's where I
saw a stand with brochures for TOOTH WHITENING. One
of them said "Fall into a whiter smile," and was decorated
with fall leaves. The one next to it had Christmas graphics
and said, "Tooth whitening makes a great gift for someone
you love." Have I made my point? If you're a coach,
offer a special on relationship coaching for Valentine's.
If you run a nursery, have a special on Valentine topiary.
4. Revamp your website. Yes, the Internet moves
fast and the styles come and go quickly. Take time to
research websites of your competition, and see what's
new out there. Websites should be revamped every 6-12
months.
5. Resolve to learn something new. Whatever
your field, learning something new is the best way to
keep yourself growing and on the competitive edge. Learn
how to do your own website, learn how to create an ezine,
learn a new language, take an accounting course, get
an MBA. Do everything you can to increase your knowledge;
it will make you more profitable, more marketable, and
more desirable in today's market climate.
6. Increase your emotional intelligence. Chances
are you're on top of the skills and knowledge in your
field. If you're a doctor or therapist, you take the
mandatory continuing education. If you're in business,
you're adding an MBA or taking advantage of the great
online and weekend degree opportunities. But are you
increasing your emotional intelligence? It accounts
more for your success and happiness than your IQ. It
accounts for the majority of promotions and firings.
Take an Internet course and get coaching in emotional
intelligence. It crosses all categories and fields,
benefiting both your work and personal life.
7. Make your last resolution -- TAKE ACTION!
Writing down your resolutions will trigger your innate
goal-accomplishment drives, but taking action is essential.
Take action on every resolution within 30 days after
writing them.
8. Get organized. Use an Accountability System
for your resolutions! Accountability Systems work. I
use the Gooding Accountability System myself and for
my clients. For most of us it's the initial organization
and then tracking the follow-through. The more you've
got going on, the more there is to keep track of. An
Accountability System makes this easy for you. Use one
for your resolutions.
9. You can make your resolutions general as
long as you include incremental action steps as subpoints.
If your list reads Lose Weight, Make More Money, and
Find a Wife you're being so vague you're defeating the
purpose. It isn't a WISH LIST, it's a list of things
you intend to accomplish. Make that "Lose 20 lbs. by
April 1 by exercising 30 minutes every day, eating less
than 100 grams of fat a day, eliminating sweets" and
whatever else will get you to your goal.
10. Compare your list to last year's list.
If it's the same, you're in trouble and you need to
face up to it. Something isn't working for you, and
if you keep doing what you've been doing, you'll keep
getting what you've been getting. If you've had "Find
a Career I Love" for 3 years in a row, deal with it.
Either acknowledge you're not going to do it, and take
it off your list, or marshall the forces you need to
make it happen - get a coach, for instance. There's
nothing more demoralizing than a goal you never achieve.
About the Author
Susan Dunn may be contacted at http://www.susandunn.cc
, The EQ Coach, GLOBAL EQ. Emotional intelligence coaching
to enhance all areas of your life - career, relationships,
midlife transition, resilience, self-esteem, parenting.
EQ Alive! - excellent, accelerated, affordable EQ coach
certification. Susan is the author of numerous ebooks,
is widely published on the Internet, and a regular speaker
for cruise lines.
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